Routers are a type of woodworking machinery used to cut wood, plastic and other materials. Routers typically include a generally cylindrical housing enclosing a motor, and a rotatable shaft or spindle driven by the motor and extending from one end of the housing. A variety of router bits having different shapes are available and may be coupled to the shaft to perform different types of cuts. In some applications, a router is mounted to a rear side of a workpiece support surface so that the router bit extends through a hole in the support surface. A user then places a workpiece on the support surface and slides the workpiece against the router bit to cut the workpiece. In other applications, a base assembly is attached to the router to allow the router to be slid over the top of a workpiece. The router bit extends through a hole in the base assembly to cut the underlying workpiece. Routers present a risk of injury to users because the spinning router bit is usually exposed during use. Thus, any contact between a user's body and the spinning router bit can cause serious injury.
The present invention provides a router with an improved safety system that is adapted to detect the occurrence of one or more dangerous, or triggering, conditions during use of the router, such as when a user's body contacts the spinning router bit. When such a condition occurs, the safety system is actuated to limit or even prevent injury to the user.